This invention is directed toward a multitasking pet bed with numerous features, including a shell, which can be optionally, a two-part bed easily broken down for transportation, with, in various combinations, one or more foam pads attached to the bottom of the bed (and to each other), which can be stacked to provide harder or softer beds, where the foam pads can be, optionally, covered with or without a waterproof liner, and foam, liner, and cover can be washed, together or separately, and dried by household washers and dryers, elevated cavities for two dishes, a bath collar tie down, a holder for a mesh bag, a mesh bag, holders for aromatherapy inserts, and, optionally, removable and exchangeable aromatherapy sachets with cedar chips doused with one or more oils enclosed in a cloth bag, where the aromatherapy is done 100% naturally, without any pesticides, insecticides, or other chemicals.
The human race has domesticated animals for tens of thousands of years. While it is unclear when exactly humans stopped using animals solely for food and guard animals, and began using them for pets, it is estimated that this occurred sometime between 15,000 to 12,000 B.C. Sometime during the process of using animals for pets, humans began making beds for their pets, so that the pets did not have to sleep on the hard, and sometimes cold, ground. Starting in the 1960's, commercially manufactured pet beds became available and today are a major industry.
The two most popular models of pet beds are the flat, mattress-type pet beds, which consist of a round, oval, rectangular, or square pad, made from a variety of materials, usually 6″ to 12″ in depth, covered by a cover, which is usually removable for machine washing. The second type of pet bed, upon which this invention improves, consists of a flat pad surrounded on two or more sides by a bolster. The bolster is usually made from the same blown foam from which the pad is constructed, and is glued around its edges to the pad.
Over the bolstered pad most commercial manufacturers usually have a removable pad which is designed to keep pet fur, smells, and liquid from permeating and ruining the foam pad and bolster. The main problem with this type of pet bed arises when a user attempts to remove the cover for cleaning and then put it back on. Because there is only glue holding together the two pieces of blown foam, any substantial tugging or pulling to remove the foam and bolster from the cover frequently results in a tearing of the blown foam, usually at the seam between the pad and the bolster.
The user frequently encounters other problems when he/she tries to re-insert the pad and bolsters into the newly washed and dried mattress cover. Even if the cover is form fitted to the pad and bolster, it is often quite difficult to slide the pad and bolster into the cover, as the blown foam will catch on the inside of the cover and tears. Once the user manages to cram the foam pad and bolster inside the cover, because of the tendency of the foam to catch on the inside of the cover the user frequently has to drastically compress the foam to cram it inside of the cover. Once the foam has been stuffed into the cover, it usually uncompresses in a form that does not fit the cover, requiring further compression/movement of the foam or attempted shifting of the cover. These actions usually result in further tearing of the foam and a permanent lack of fit between the foam pad and bolster and the cover. Thus, many pet owners, having attempted unsuccessfully to clean the cover and reassemble the foam and cover resort to treating pet beds as disposable items, merely throw away the old bed after several months of soiling, and replace it with a new one, rather than hassle with trying to replace the pad and bolsters inside a cleaned cover.
The prior art has several examples of attempts to resolve these problems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,384 to Jordan and U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,257 to Feibus both teach multi-layer pet beds utilizing a wide variety of types of cloth and various materials to provide protection from liquids, insects, fur, and other undesirable elements while at the same time providing a flat, soft, and presumably comfortable bed for the pet. These devices do not, however, provide for bolsters or a way to effectively remove and replace the mattress pad from other than a purely six-sided, simple, structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,981 to Barreto describes the use of sidewalls, but does not propose a method of combing a foam cushion with a hard surrounding structure which provides the support for the pet's back when he or she uses the bed. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2004/0,163,603 A1 to Newton deals with a fitted sheet which covers a flat grooming table or flat pet bed mattress. While this invention does teach the use of a fitted sheet, it does not discuss any applicability to a more complex and effective structure, such as Quinn's invention, which teaches a plastic or fiberglass pet bed shell with a cavity into which can be fitted one or more foam cushions. The advantages of the current invention include the facts that the back support for the pet does not come from the cushion sides themselves, and that the cushion can be washed and returned to its functional position without the necessity of inserting it into an unwieldy cover.
Aromatherapy is the science of using smells to promote various moods and enhance healing processes. Basically, aromatherapy uses one or more oils in various formulations to either treat a particular problem or as part of a daily regimen designed to improve the overall health of the subject. Essential oils can be used in three different ways: applied topically, diffused and inhaled, and taken internally. Aromatherapy deals with the effects of oils which are diffused and inhaled.
The oils are derived from plants, which have evolved over many generations with oils as integral parts of their physical and chemical makeup. In nature these oils can serve a variety of functions in the plants, such as insect repellents and fighting off bacteria and viruses.
These oils also have effects on human and animals as well. Since each oil derived from a plant can have a vast spectrum of effects on the subject, a variety of oils can be combined to achieve synergistic effects. Such uses include antibacterial, antifungal, relaxation, anti-inflammatory, anitpruritic, sedative, stimulation, and regeneration functions.
While there is a plethora of studies on the effects of aromatherapy on humans, very little has been done using aromatherapy for pets. This area is one in which further exploration would be useful, as the sense of smell in many species of animals is much more pronounced than in humans. Dogs in particular make ideal subjects for aromatherapy due to their acute sense of smell, their ready willingness to sniff out new smells, and the unique structure of their nasal cavities which allows them to quickly absorb the aromas emanated through aromatherapy.
There exists in the prior art patents which combine pet beds with various substances designed to improve the health of the pet. Such inventions include mattresses with cedar shavings and a cover (U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,066 to Gunter), a pet bed with insecticidal properties (U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,688 to Nicholas), a pet mattress for aromatherapy herbs embedded in the mattress (U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,675 to Licciardo), and a pet bed containing cottonseeds into which a fragrance and/or pesticide can be added (U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,380 to Morrison). None of these inventions, however, lend themselves to easy washing of the bedding material, or allow a user to easily, quickly and conveniently replace one aromatherapy regimen with another. Finally, none of these inventions provide a method by which the pet can be washed, dried, or groomed while standing on the bed itself as does the current invention.
Another issue dealt with my most pet owners is how to wash their pet. While a variety of commercial pet washing business have sprung up over the past decade, a large number of pet owners continue to wash their pets by hand. While pet owners with backyards and driveways can wash their pets outside, apartment and condominium owners often do not have that luxury. A pet owner having to wash his or her pet indoors usually gets to choose from washing the pet in the bathtub (and dealing sanitation issues along with fur clogging the drain), or washing the pet on the floor (and, for apartment dwellers, dealing with losing their security deposit or even facing eviction for wrecking the floor). Thus, there exists a need for a device which allows a pet owner to wash the pet outside of the bathtub and contain the water and soap subs.
The current invention responds to this need by providing a waterproof pet bed shell to which a pet can be tethered for washing. Thus, an owner living in an apartment, condominium, or other location which does not have a backyard, can wash the pet over the shell and then either dump out the water without getting it on the floor by carrying the shell to a nearby sink. Even with a larger dog, where the volume of water needed to successfully wash the dog would be prohibitively heavy to carry to a sink, the owner can scoop water out of the shell with a pitcher or improvised scoop made of a gallon milk or water jug with the upper section cut off, thereby allowing the owner to empty the pet bed shell in small increments. For an owner with a backyard, the invention allows the owner to tether the pet to the shell such that the pet cannot run away while being washed.
Another area related to pet health which has not been utilized significantly in the area of pet health is the level of a food dish with respect to the animal. Studies show that a pet whose food dish is on the ground undergoes greater stress on its body than a pet whose food dish is elevated, even when the elevation is only slight. This appears obvious—humans have been eating off tables and sitting in chairs for eons, so why not apply the same orthopedic principles to animals—and yet the vast majority of pet bowls are free standing structures designed to lay flat at ground level. Elevated food and water bowls have also been shown to put less digestive stress on pets.
Pet owners who wish to travel with their pets are often faced with the difficult task of hauling along a frequently unwieldy large pet bed along with other items such as food and water dishes, pet washing items, etc. Thus, there is a need for a pet bed device which not only combines a number of traditionally separate features, but also breaks down into an easily transported size.
A final unaddressed need in the pet bed industry is a means by which a pet's toys, food, medications, or other items could be attached to and kept with the pet bed. It is desirable for a pet owner to keep the pet's “accessories” near the pet by a means which allows the pet owner to find them easily. When the pet is being transported, it is also desirable to keep the pet's accessories attached to the pet bed such that nothing gets lost during the drive or flight.
While there have been a number of inventions in the past relating to some combination of aromatherapy, orthopedically healthful and digestively-beneficial food dishes, and pet washing devices, there exists a long-felt need for a pet bed with an easily removable, washable and stackable cushion device, elevated water and food dishes, pet washing capabilities, means of keeping the pet's accessories in a known and easily remembered location, along with a means of using aromatherapy with the pet.
The current invention meets these needs with a single invention which address all of the above concerns, namely a multitasking pet bed with numerous features, including a shell, which can be optionally, a two-part bed easily broken down for transportation, with, in various combinations, one or more foam pads attached to the bottom of the bed (and to each other), which can be stacked to provide harder or softer beds, where the foam pads can be, optionally, covered with or without a waterproof liner, and foam, liner, and cover can be washed, together or separately, and dried by household washers and dryers, elevated cavities for two dishes, a bath collar tie down, a holder for a mesh bag, a mesh bag, holders for aromatherapy inserts, and, optionally, removable and exchangeable aromatherapy sachets with cedar chips doused with one or more oils enclosed in a cloth bag, where the aromatherapy is done 100% naturally, without any pesticides, insecticides, or other chemicals.